Originally Posted by
jefnvk
I don't know anyone else's logic, but for me personally, I'm looking at doing it because my tent's bag is very long and skinny, that I don't really want to strap across the bike. If it were like my second tent, which packs much shorter and thicker, there wouldn't be a second thought of just using the supplied bag.
Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
The bags my tents came with are really long an cylindrical. I use compression sacks for them to reduce volume and a tent ball sitting atop the rack platform isnt then needed. I toss it in a plastic grocery bag and into a pannier. Nothing else gets wet and the rack platform is then available for other things.
Your comment about tent poles is interesting as I would need to keep them outside the bags regardless of where my tent is stored. So they are on the platform rack just like normal. I did lash them to the side of the top tube once, but didnt like the last minute style setup. Next shortie will involve me experimenting with how to better attach the poles to the top tube making them secure but also easy to detach. The poles I have for multiple tents are all too long to store in bags.
Again, this makes no sense to me. Every tent I've every owned had a bag that fit the poles and I've never owned a tent where the poles would fit into panniers. I have to carry the poles outside of the panniers and just can't see the logic of packing them separately. Nor do I see the logic of compression sacks when the poles don't compress. There just doesn't seem to me to be enough gain for the hassle.
Another possible problem I can see with separating the tent from the poles is that it's one more item to keep track of while getting ready as well as taking up volume in panniers that could be used for other items or requiring carrying larger panniers. I've found that panniers tend to follow the Ideal Gas Law in that if there is empty space, it tends to get filled.
I wrap my tent around the pole bag just like they have all come to me from the factory. Seems like the logical way of packing and carrying the tent.
Last edited by cyccommute; 03-24-17 at 10:16 PM.